March 11, 2021, 2:13 PM HST
The Hawai’i Department of Health is announcing that beginning Monday, March 15, the state will extend the right to vaccination to people 65 and older and those who qualify as members of Phase 1c.
“This is another huge step in the ongoing effort to protect Hawaii residents from COVID-19,” said Dr. Elizabeth Char, Director of State Health. “We will continue to administer vaccines shortly after they arrive and are pleased to now be able to offer injections to more people.”
To date, vaccines have been reserved for health professionals, people in long-term care facilities, primary care workers, and people 70 and older. Expanding eligibility to Stage 1c allows individuals 65 and older, those with high-risk medical conditions, and key workers to be vaccinated.
Essential workers are people in industries and professions that are important to the functioning of society and at increased risk of exposure. This includes people who work in hotels and hospitality, food service, banking and finance, transportation, construction, media, logistics, information technology, and more.
Hawai’i’s federal government weekly vaccination allocation has been gradually increased from about 40,000 doses per week in early February to more than 62,000 doses this week. This growth is expected to continue. Phase 1c, however, is the state’s largest vaccination group, as outlined in the state’s vaccination plan summary, and it will take several months to work through this phase.
“We still don’t have enough vaccines to reach everyone right away. Everyone gets the chance to get vaccinated, but Phase 1c is a very large part of the community, so we ask people to remain patient as the vaccination program continues to gain momentum, ”said Char.
Registration options for people over 65 and others in Phase 1c will soon be available from links at hawaiicovid19.com and from health care providers across the state.